Knots
by Orpah
Summary: A prince with magical hair is held prisoner in a tower; a thief tries to make her way in the world. What happens when these two people's paths cross? Genderbend AU
1. Chapter 1

Just a note, the storyline isn't completely identical to Tangled.

I don't own Tangled! end/AN/

Once upon a time, a drop of sun fell from the sky; where it landed, a flower bloomed. But this wasn't any old flower; it had magical powers, and glowed brightly in the dark.

An old woman happened upon it shortly after it bloomed, and used its powers for herself. She wasn't willing to share it, and kept it hidden under a basket. It kept her young, ageless and beautiful.

Many years passed, and a kingdom grew up on an island nearby. It was a bustling, small but friendly kingdom, and all the citizens loved their king and queen. When the queen became pregnant, there was much good cheer and congratulations.

But the queen got very sick. The king and his courtiers were afraid that they were going to lose her and the child. When the rumor of a magical flower came to light, there was a relentless search for it, and despite the old woman's attempts to hide it, it was found.

They made it into a magical broth, and gave it to the queen. She got better.

A few months later, a baby boy was born, with golden hair already inches long on his head. There was much rejoicing, and the king and queen thought that their lives couldn't get any better.

However, the old woman had heard of the baby's hair, and drew the desperate conclusion that it must hold some of the flower's power. She slipped in to the castle at night, and tried to cut off some of his hair as glowed under the power of her song; it instantly turned dark and useless in her hand.

She was old and wrinkled already, within months of having lost her source of youth; there was no other choice in her mind but to take the baby.

And so, with a whisper in the night, she was gone, and so was the prince.

The King and Queen searched far and wide, but the prince was never found. Still, every year on his birthday, they lit floating lanterns and sent them into the sky, hoping that the prince would see them and come home.

* * *

The poster read clearly, WANTED: AZURE BLUE, THIEF, REWARD: 100 GOLD.

Azure frowned, poking at the clear image of herself. The eyes were okay, even though hers were far more stunning in person, and the chin came out nicely. But the image was far, far off… "Guys, I totally don't have a nose like _this_, do I?"

The Stabbington sisters, Finley and Blair, were not exactly Azure's friends; they worked together purely by necessity. Both glared, but only Blair, the one with her hair tightly woven against her head, spoke. "It doesn't matter; we've got a job to do. Stop playing around."

They were walking on ahead without her.

Azure gave an exasperated sigh. "But people are going to think my nose looks that way!"

Finley glared, her one green eye probably piercingly scary to any normal person.

But Azure wasn't an easily intimidated person, and she only grinned back. "I'm just thinking about my image; can't have people getting the wrong idea."

"I'll ruin your precious image if you don't shut up about it," Blair threatened, hand tightening on the handle of her sword.

Azure had a pretty good sense for when she was pushing too hard, and she decided to drop it. Instead, she caught up with them and stretched out her arms casually. "So, what do you think the crown is worth anyhow?" She tried to act a little disinterested, but her eyes had already lit up like gems at the thought of all the money she would get, and what she would do with it.

"We've gone over this; more than you can imagine," Blair huffed, rolling her eyes. Her sister followed suit, as if they were telepathic.

"And what are you going to do with your shares?"

"I'm not telling you that, runt."

It only made Azure laugh. They trusted her as far as they could throw her; she supposed they did have some intelligence after all. She wouldn't trust them anymore than they would trust her. "Yeah, okay. You can go and spend yours on rat meat for all I care."

They trudged in relative silence after that. It was only a small price to pay for riches beyond her wildest dreams, though.

* * *

Tulip woke up at 7 AM. He did this every morning without fail. Making his way out of the nest of his hair, he yawned and stood. Today was going to be a good day, he could feel it.

It was almost the day when the lights rose in the sky; he'd been pondering how to ask his mother how to go see them.

As he made breakfast, he went over different approaches out loud. "Mother, I've gotten a lot older, and I think maybe it's time I left the tower- but just for one night, to see the lights in the sky. It wouldn't even be very long, I'd be back before morning…"

No, that was a bit too begging, he thought. Perhaps something else. "Mother, I've waited for years to see what the lights are and where they come from-" No. Still too begging.

"Mother, you know I'm almost eighteen, and I'm your height now, so I'm old enough to go see the lights."

He wanted to slam his head onto the small counter. He would never word it quite right, he was sure. It wasn't as though he asked to be let out of the tower often, not even to see the cluster of the flower that was his namesake down around the base.

But, it was better to focus on the good until his mother came.

Let's see, what was good about today? Tulip went through a mental checklist, something he did often. A good breakfast? Check. His hair didn't try to choke him in his sleep? Check. There were new paints, in several new shades, just waiting for him to crack them open? Double check.

And of course, there were a number of other things, from having his favorite (only) books to the warm breeze coming in through the window to the fact that his mother would be visiting. The beautiful sunshine, his pet chameleon, new packs of clay…

Really, his life couldn't be better, could it?

Tulip smiled to himself. Who could complain under these circumstances? Still, he looked out the window, the meadow below memorized from years of gazing. What was beyond it? Where did the lights come from?

He wistfully stared, until he woke himself up from daydreams that he couldn't have explained or defined, and set to sweeping the floor.

It must be tidy for his mother, after all.

/AN/ All right, it's just a start, and I hope you were able to get past the idea of a guy with that much hair. But I've been interested in genderbending some Disney movies, and while my original idea was Pocahontas, I did not want to risk messing it up worse than Disney, since, you know, Pocahontas was an actual person and all.

If you've got any tips or pointers or ideas for this AU, do let me know. I'm still in the early brainstorming stage. And hey, if you'd like to see me do a particular movie this way, don't be shy! I may start on that next.

I hope you don't think the names are stupid…


	2. Chapter 2

I don't own Tangled! end/AN/

Azure surveyed the whole kingdom from the top of the castle, letting out a whistle. "Guys, you know what? I want a castle."

Blair gave an irritated grunt. "You can get whatever you want with your share. I don't care."

"Yes, definitely getting a castle," Azure hummed, delicately rocking back onto her heels. She did not have any intention of becoming a thief flatcake. Though, she was easily nimble as a squirrel, so she didn't see much danger in being up so high.

She could practically feel Finley's glare at the back of her head as Blair growled, "Get over here, and do your job!"

Azure lightly stepped over to the opening that had been made by removing roofing materials. She wasn't the least bit bothered by Blair and Finley's rough attitudes; she didn't need to like them to work with them.

That was how most of her life had been, she reflected, as they tied a rope girdle around her waist and prepared to lower her at least a 100 feet. Always people to charm, or at least get to do what she wanted, until she didn't need them anymore.

And there was a sucker born every minute! She wasn't always proud of the way she sometimes used her good looks to get close to potential goods, but it wasn't as though those rich, stuffy old geezers really needed all their things anyway. Diamond necklaces here, silver flatware there… but it wasn't the huge payday that this crown would be.

Azure felt a thrill as she was lowered down, the slightest of a dizzy spell coming over her as she looked at the marble floor far below. That was a long way to fall; she was depending completely on people she didn't even like. Her only assurance was that they probably wanted to get rich even worse than she did.

It pulled at her abdomen, and she tucked her arms against herself, bracing against the rudely crafted harness. Just a little farther, she thought, as the pedestal with the crown on it came closer and closer…

She snagged it up in her fingers; the jewels and gold were chilly against her warm hand. Her eyes gleamed; rich at last!

One of the guards sneezed.

And here was where Azure got cocky. She already had the crown in hand, and lacked good planning skills; so she smirked, saying, "Gesundheit."

"Oh, thanks." The guard glanced back, then froze. By the time he turned back around, however, Azure was already being hoisted up with a speed befitting a pair of giants, rather than just very muscular sisters.

They were already glaring at her, as the alarm went off below and their big fingers nimbly tore off the harness. "You idiot! Run!"

All three ran, slipping down their escape rope, and speedily taking off down the stone pathway. The clatter of boots and hooves soon came after them.

Azure laughed, gulping huge breaths as she ran and tried not to fall down. "All this excitement and it's only eight in the morning!"

[line here]

"Let down your hair, Tulip!"

Tulip heard the call instantly; his ears were attuned to his mother's voice. He ran to the window, hastily looping his hair in the hook and throwing it out the window. "Good morning, Mother!"

Mother was a woman with wavy black hair, green eyes, and the only other person that Tulip had ever met. As far as he was aware, they were the only good people in the world; in every story ever told by his mother, anyone else was a bad person out to get him.

As he hoisted his hair up, his mother stepped in through the window, smiling at him. "Tulip, my dear, don't you think that took a little long?"

"Oh! I'm sorry, Mother-" he started, instantly flushing in embarrassment.

She laughed however, saying, "Sh, sh, buttercup, I was only teasing! Now, how's my precious boy doing today?"

Tulip had had a vague sense, for years now, that he was too old to be called things like 'buttercup' and 'precious boy,' but he didn't fight it now. Instead, as he pulled his hair back in the window, he responded cheerily, "It's been a good day so far! But you know, there's a better day coming up…"

His mother was looking in the mirror, smoothing the skin around her eyes with her fingers. "Hm? And what's that, Poppet?"

He wasn't hurt she didn't remember; really, he wasn't. He pushed his face into a grin again, said, "Well, you know, it's my birthday! And, um, I was thinking-"

"Oh, don't think too hard, dear! We can't have you straining that little noggin of yours, can we?" His mother was smiling, and she patted his head. Not too hard, though; she was always fairly careful with him.

He laughed. He would never tell her he devoted most of his time to thinking and dreaming, even with only having three books, none of which were incredibly stimulating the hundredth time through. "Yes, I know, mother. It's just that, you know, I was thinking, and I'm going to be eighteen years old. I'm as tall as you are. And I was wondering, since I have gotten so big, if maybe I could, um, go see the lanterns."

His mother seemed to take it well, cocking an eyebrow and asking, "Where ever did you even hear of the lanterns? Why on earth would you want to go see them?"

"Well… It's just, I've seen them every year on my birthday, and I think…" he took a deep breath, knowing it might sound a little silly to his mother, "They're calling me, Mother. They _mean_ something, and I just have to go there and find out what it is."

Was his mother that ashen shade when she came in? He had no time to dwell on it, because she came bustling over, tittering out a laugh. "How could they be meant for _you_, buttercup? That's nonsense. You know it isn't safe outside this tower; you know I could never send you out there."

Tulip bit his lip, trying to fight the disappointment. There had to be some way to make her understand! "But Mother, you go outside all the time, and I'm your size now-"

"Size has nothing to do with it, Tulip. Why, look at you, you're as fragile as your namesake; you wouldn't last out in the real world." She pushed his locks away from his face, then patted his cheeks. "No, you'd best stay in here, love."

"I really think I could do it, Mother. I've been thinking about it for the past week-"

"Honeybear! What did I just say?" His mother's face was drawn into a tight smile, as she put her hands on her hips.

Tulip's eyes darted towards the floor, as he mumbled, "You said I'm not ready. But Mother, really, I-"

"Tulip, look at you. You're not meant to go outside; look at your skinny little legs and your unkempt hair. Why, you're rather on the skinny side to begin with; too soft and weak to handle the world. That's why I'm here, to protect you; you're safe here with me. Understand?" His mother looked her nails for a moment, as though judging whether or not she'd chipped one on the way up.

Tulip's shoulders sagged. But only for a moment, because he pushed them back into place and said, "I understand, mother."

He must have looked like a kicked puppy, because his mother spread wide her arms, saying, "Sweetheart, don't feel bad; it's just the way it is. Mother hates it when you're sad."

Tulip walked into her embrace, wrapping his arms around her. She was warm, and even though he was upset with her, he could feel his anger slowly unwinding and melting.

"Tulip, dear?"

"Yes, Mother?"

"Don't ask to leave this tower again."

He couldn't see her face; his chin was on her shoulder. But he replied dutifully, as he always had. "Yes, Mother."

"I love you."

"I love you more."

"I love you most."

/AN/ I hope this acceptable; I was considering making the chapter longer, but I wanted to update before everyone lost interest. Also, it's turning out to be challenging to do this without the music! Since I cannot write songs, I'm making do.

See y'all next time!


	3. Chapter 3

I don't own Tangled! end/AN/

Azure ran, pumping her legs like pistons.

Blair and Finley were right behind her, slower but still going at breakneck speed. They were not about to get captured, especially after stealing something so precious as a crown.

"Move it! Don't slow down!" Blair roared, clearly mystified as to why Azure was coming to stop.

But Azure was not confused; instead, she was staring at the wall of cliff in front of her, mind racing to find a way out. "Quick, boost me up, and then I'll pull you both up!"

Blair let out an unamused laugh, saying, "Hand over the crown first, and then we'll boost you up."

"Aw, come on, don't you trust me?" Azure smiled prettily, almost as if that could convince them to leave the bag containing the crown with her.

She was met with bluntly untrusting stares, as Finley held out her hands for the bag.

"Fine, but I am hurt!" Azure gasped, as if it truly hurt her feelings. It didn't; it was more annoying than hurtful. There was no time for further conversation, and Finley stood on Blair's shoulders, while Azure climbed on top of the two of them.

It was a rough reach, but she caught the edge, and hauled herself up. The weight of her whole body put a strain on her arms, and she let out a sigh of relief as she sprawled on her back for a moment.

"Pull us up, Blue!" Blair always referred to her by her last name.

But Azure grinned, and leaned back over the edge, dangling the bag she'd snagged. "I'd prefer if we broke off our partnership. See you!"

The enraged yells were easy enough to ignore, as Azure laughed to herself at her own cleverness and ran ahead. Really, it was just too easy sometimes; people would always be easy to trick, and read, and manipulate.

Never had there been a person that was hard to understand, or even genuinely good. Everyone would turn on each other, if they had the chance; Azure had yet to meet anyone, in her adult life, that she would stick with even if they weren't good for her at the moment.

Now, someplace to hide… Azure dashed along, sure that leaving the Stabbington Sisters behind had at least nabbed her a good ten extra minutes…

* * *

Tulip looked down at his bare toes, feeling a little despondent. While there was always next year, it felt like next year was too long, too far away. It was hard being turned down for something you wanted, and Tulip had really hoped this time.

In fact, he tended to put his whole heart into things; there was no reason not to. If you didn't care about anything, then what made life worth living?

Tulip cared about his mother, his painting, seeing the lights someday, and almost any project he put his mind to.

Absently, he brushed his hair, though only the ending tips at this point. It was a lot of work to keep his hair knot free, though his mother had often mentioned, in envy, how his hair seemed less likely to tangle than hers, even though it was so long.

She'd said it had something to do with the magic.

Tulip looked out the windowsill, and wished he was strong enough to leave. If Mother said he wasn't, then he must not be, but if he only were… then she would let him leave.

It would come, some day. He would be big and strong, and able to take on any of the pointy-teethed men that lived out in the rest of the world.

* * *

They were right behind her!

The clomp of horse hooves was audible, and the racing of the men behind the man on the horse was evident from their heavy breathing and stomping boots.

It was supposed to have bought more time! Azure frantically tried to think of a way to lose them, ducking through trees and feet pounding through the dirt and underbrush. That was when she pulled back a large branch, and let it go behind her- thwack!

She looked back at the sound, and saw that the captain had been demounted. Yet, however, the horse continued on with the same fury, as if he himself were out to get her rather than the captain.

She wasn't looking when she fell, right off of the edge of a cliff.

Screaming, she hit a branch, holding tightly to it. The horse came flying after her, landing on the same branch.

The men were all crowded around the edge, trying to figure out what to do.

That was when Azure realized the precious bag was hanging off one of the smaller branches, and she began to carefully climb towards it. She couldn't go through all this and have nothing to show for it!

But the horse saw it too, and began to fight his way towards the bag too.

"No, no you stupid horse! Get away from that!" She was fighting a horse. A horse, for crying out loud! But the horse had the bag in its mouth, and she tried to tug it away.

"Give it! Give it! Bad horsey!"

They began to struggle, shaking the branch badly. The horse was angry, and when the bag tore free of its mouth, it bit her.

"Ow! You dumb horse!" So she shoved it.

It grabbed onto her, though, and quite suddenly, there was a loud, cracking noise.

"What was tha- AAAAGGHH!"

The branch started a freefall, then hit the side of the cliff, sliding down it like a sled of some sort.

Azure screamed, air hitting her in the face like an unfriendly lion roaring at her. She was going to die, she was going to die, she was going to die!

She might have hugged the horse, had she had any willpower to do anything other than clutch the branch like lifeline.

However, quite suddenly, the fall was over, they hit the ground, and were both sent flying.

"Ow ow ow!" Azure complained, feeling an imprint of bark on the side of her face. She wasn't seriously hurt, however, as she did a quick checkover. Bones intact? Yes. Skin still on body? Yes. All five sense working? Yes.

The horse was nowhere to be seen, but that didn't mean she wasn't being chased.

Azure ran ahead, and broke into a clearing. In the clearing, there was a tower, that very well could have been abandoned ages ago.

She grinned. Perfect place to hide; this clearing was totally out of the way.

It was quick work to climb up the side of the tower; strangely enough, there was no door anywhere. As before said, Azure was like a squirrel.

As she hoisted herself over the ledge, Azure looked into the bag, smiling at the sparking crown within. "You're going to make me rich-"

Pain exploded in the back of her head, however, with a loud klonk. Azure was out like a light.

/AN/ Sorry about not updating for so long… this story's been harder to write than I thought it would be.

Also, explanations:

Azure is Flynn as a girl. Tulip is Rapunzel as a boy.

The reason for the name Tulip, I feel I should explain. The word Rapunzel is a kind of plant; in the original folk tale, Rapunzel was named as such because her father had to give her to the witch because he took the plant from the witch's garden.

I wanted to do a plant name, but it was hard to find one that fit. I went with Tulip because, out of any flower or plant name, this one seemed the least feminine. Granted, still fairly feminine, but I thought it would work out. Really, Rapunzel is a pretty unusual name.

The reason for the name Azure Blue is because I figured the name would be flashy if Flynn were a girl. Maybe a little flashier than Flynn Rider. Also, both are real (but not common) names, with Blue being an English surname, and Azure being an English (rare) name.

I hope you liked this chapter, and found my explanations satisfactory.


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